Skilled Worker Shortage Solution in Production: Knowledge Management with gboMES

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Why Production Knowledge Is Often Lost

Employee know-how is a valuable resource for innovation, efficiency, and cost reduction in manufacturing. However, this knowledge often resides in the minds of individual specialists or in Excel spreadsheets and documentation. Phrases like:

“Only the colleague who is currently on vacation knows that”

“Only that colleague is familiar with it”

show how critical the loss of knowledge is.

Especially in industries facing a shortage of skilled workers, production complexity is increasing while the number of available experts is decreasing. MES systems help systematically capture knowledge, make it available, and reduce reliance on individual specialists. This helps avoid knowledge silos and makes production processes more efficient.

Webinar: Digitalizing Production – Compensating for Skilled Worker Shortages with MES

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MES as Knowledge and Decision Support

MES collects production data, organizes it, and presents it visually in key performance indicators (KPIs). The system supports both explicit knowledge (capturable data) and implicit knowledge (employee experience).

With MES, companies can:

• Support decisions and prioritize processes where skilled workers are needed
• Convert implicit knowledge into digital processes
• Reduce reliance on individual experts

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MES thus serves as a central knowledge retention tool and decision support system, which is particularly crucial in times of skilled labor shortage.

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Automated Feedback & OEE to Relieve Employees

Automated feedback from MES systems:

1. save time on manual routines

2. increase transparency into production processes

3. relieve employees who would otherwise have to make many decisions manually

With key figures like OEE and machine availability, bottlenecks can be identified early, downtimes reduced, and production planning optimized. This allows existing skilled workers to be deployed strategically and their workload to be reduced.

Production KPIs – Key Figures at a Glance

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Data-Driven Decisions Instead of Gut Feeling

Without digital support, many production decisions are based on assumptions or experience. MES provides reliable data, so that:

·      plans are based on real production data

·      processes are controlled efficiently

·      decisions are no longer based on gut feeling

In contrast to AI, which is not yet practically applicable in manufacturing, MES reliably secures internal know-how within the company. This keeps valuable knowledge in-house and can be specifically used to increase efficiency and productivity.

Practical Benefits and Innovation Potential

Through systematic knowledge management with MES, companies benefit from:

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· Cost reductions through more efficient processes

· Avoidance of downtimes through data-driven decisions

· Optimized production planning and resource utilization

· Promotion of innovation through combining knowledge from different departments

gboMES acts as a data hub for production and is a decisive step towards Industry 4.0.

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Conclusion

Efficient knowledge management in conjunction with MES is the key to compensating for the shortage of skilled workers in production. MES secures knowledge, automates feedback, supports data-driven decisions, and ensures that existing employees are optimally utilized. Companies benefit from greater transparency, better production planning, and continuous optimization of their processes.

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